HOUSTON -AP- Carlos Beltran hit his first home run this season and Jake Marisnick also homered to help the Houston Astros to a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday.Beltran's shot came with one out and the first inning off Matt Shoemaker (0-1), and Marisnick's second homer this season made it 2-0 in the fifth.
Lance McCullers (2-0) scattered three hits and struck out eight over 6 2/3 scoreless innings as Houston won for the seventh time in eight games. Chris Devenski allowed home run to Mike Trout starting the ninth inning and back-to-back singles with one out before fanning Cameron Maybin and Danny Espinosa for his first save.Devenski, who pitched 2 1/3 innings on Thursday, has struck out 25 in 13 1/3 innings this season.At 11-5 the Astros are off to their best start since 2006. They lead the AL-West a year after a 7-17 start put them in a hole too big to climb out of last season.Shoemaker allowed three hits and two runs while striking out seven in a season-high seven innings.Trout's homer was the only extra-base hit on Thursday for the Angels, who have lost eight of their last nine games.Beltran put Houston ahead with his first-inning homer. Alex Bregman doubled with one out in the second before Evan Gattis drew a walk. But they were left stranded as Shoemaker struck out Marwin Gonzalez as the first of 10 straight Astros he retired.Houston didn't have another baserunner until Marisnick's home run made it 2-0 with two outs in the fifth inning.McCullers plunked Kole Calhoun with one out in the first inning and walked Maybin with two outs in the second inning. The Angels didn't get a hit until Andrelton Simmons singled to start the fifth. But he was picked off trying to steal second base and McCullers retired the next two batters to end the inning.McCullers was lifted after walking consecutive batters with two outs in the seventh inning.
Houston shortstop Carlos Correa was 0 for 2 with a walk in his return to the lineup after sitting out three games with a sore right hand after being plunked on Saturday in Oakland.
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